Madhouse recipe : Cheesy mince-stuffed baked marrow

Our dogsitter recently gave us some veggies from her allotment - some tomatoes and a marrow. I always think of marrows as being green but this one was bright yellow. Maybe it wasn't a marrow - I remember a couple of years ago, someone gave me a marrow and when I cut into it, I discovered it was a spaghetti squash ! Slicing into it, I learned that this one was a regular marrow (or similar squash type thing). So, what to do with it ?! After a quick google search, I couldn't really find anything that sounded like it would appeal to the kids, so I went for a simple cheesy mince-stuffed marrow. At least that way, they could scrape off the filling and just eat that if the marrow didn't appeal to their taste buds !

 Cheesy mince-stuffed baked marrow

ingredients :

1 marrow

1 small glug of olive oil 

1 pack of minced beef

1 onion

3 tomatoes

salt, pepper

BBQ seasoning (or other spices)

grated cheese

Wash and wipe down the outside of the marrow. Using a sharp knife, slice it in half then use a spoon to scoop out most of the flesh. Reserve the flesh for later.

In a large pan, heat a glug of olive oil then cook the mince and onions until it is browned all the way through.

Toss in the marrow flesh (having removed the big seeds) and cook for 5 minutes or so, stirring frequently.

Dice the tomatoes and add to the pot. Toss in the salt, pepper and BBQ seasoning (or whatever other spices you may have). Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

 Lay the two marrow halves on a baking tray lined with baking paper. (I was reusing a sheet which is why it looks a bit manky !) Fill each half with the mince mixture.

Scatter with a few handfuls of grated cheese. Bake for half an hour or so at 180°C. Pierce with a sharp knife to test when the marrow is cooked through.

Serve on it's own, or with rice, if you prefer. This is a great dish for the autumn, perfect for cold evenings when you need something to warm you up.